Pitch Perfect 3: The Aca-Reunion
by becca343
Summary: After years apart, the Bellas are all coming back to Barden for their 5 year reunion. This is how Pitch Perfect 3 would go if I were the writer :) Bechloe
1. Chapter 1

Beca heard the familiar ringing from her iPhone. She knew it was a FaceTime call and smiled when she saw Chloe's photo on the screen.

"Hey!" Becca exclaimed picking up the phone. "What's up?"

"Look what I've got..." Chloe said teasingly. She held up an invitation and was wiggling it excitedly in her hands. Beca couldn't make out the words on the card.

"What?" She asked.

"Wait you haven't gotten your mail?" Chloe's eyes darted around the screen of her phone. "Beca are you still in the studio?" Beca nodded. "Even with the time difference it's 8:30. You need a better work life balance..."

"That doesn't exist in the music industry, Chlo. But this is typical for me, now what I'm curious about is what you are doing up?" Beca's late nights in the studio were common, but because Chloe had to be up early to teach music to her little elementary school munchkins in the morning, she was usually in bed by 10:00 on the dot.

Chloe started waving the invitation yet again. "I'm too excited to sleep!" She exclaimed. That patented Chloe Beale grin spanning ear to ear.

Beca laughed. "Okay Chloe, spill."

"Our five year reunion!" The words burst from her lips.

"Oh right! That is this year..."

"Beca Mitchell, if you-"

"Chill, Chlo, I'm kidding. You've only been talking about it every week for the last six months."

"I just feel like... I feel like I'm finally going home. Even if it is just for a weekend."

Beca knew Chloe felt that way, but hearing it still broke her heart a little. These first few postgrad years hadn't been easy for any of the Bellas, but Chloe, most of all, had trouble finding the sense of security she craved. She had already been given not one but two teaching awards and was, as always, quite the social butterfly, but something was missing.

Beca smiled at Chloe's excitement. "It will be nice to be in our house again…" Beca admitted.

Chloe nodded, liking the way "our house" sounded as it came off of Beca's lips. "Well, it's late here. I should be getting to bed."

"Of course," Beca replied.

"I'll talk to you soon."

"Night."

"Good night Beca. Love you," Chloe said.

"Love you too," Beca mumbled. Despite the fact that they ended every call this way, even after all of these years, Beca still felt embarrassed.

Chloe put her phone down on her nightstand and looked around her tiny room. New York City hadn't ended up being everything she'd hoped it would be. She thought back to that first day she'd moved here. She couldn't believe it had been almost 4 years ago.

"Oh my god I can't believe you're really here!" Aubrey exclaimed wrapping her arms around Chloe like she'd never let her go.

"I know. I've missed you SO much."

"Ready to see the place?" Aubrey asked.

"As long as you and I will be sleeping a mere 50 feet away from each other again, I wouldn't even care if the apartment was infested with cockroaches." Aubrey looked back at her skeptically. "Okay, okay, _please_ tell me there are no cockroaches."

"See for yourself," Aubrey said, opening the door to their tiny but beautifully decorated and homey apartment. It was a one bedroom but with creative furniture placement and careful use of dividers, Aubrey had beautifully transformed the space into a room for Chloe. "Do you like it?" Aubrey asked. Though Chloe's grin was making it pretty clear. She nodded and hugged her best friend once again.

Chloe and Aubrey loved living together. They had no doubt they would. But Chloe had mistakenly thought it'd be a bit like a time machine, bringing her life back to the way it was in the Bella house. At times it was. Swapping stories after a long day at work. Late night karaoke at the bar down the block. Aubrey's delicious banana pancakes.

But just within that first month that Chloe moved in, Aubrey was getting pretty serious with her boyfriend Jonathan. They'd only met a couple months prior, but feeling ready to settle down, Aubrey was all in. Suddenly banana pancakes became banana pancakes with three at the table. Or worse banana pancakes left on the counter for Chloe, as the other two took theirs back to the bedroom.

Chloe shared her feelings with Aubrey. They were honest with each other and made time for just the two of them. That's how their tradition of Thursday evening margaritas was born. But there was no "fixing" that ache in Chloe's heart. Lives were going in different directions and things would never be the way they were. When the lease was up a year later, Aubrey moved in with Jonathan and Chloe moved to her current place with, Lisa, a friend of one of her coworkers.

She looked over at the invitation one more time, trying to regain that feeling of excitement and comfort she'd had on the phone with Beca moments ago. But it was no use. She set her alarm for 6:00 am, like always, and finally went to sleep.

Beca didn't get home until 11:00 pm that night, but she still took an extra moment to pick up her mail in the lobby of the apartment building. And there it was, the large, slightly shiny envelope, identical to the one Chloe had been holding.

She took out a pen and circled the date on the invitation, June 6th, and pinned it up on the tiny bulletin board in her tiny kitchen. She grabbed a snack from the fridge, watched an episode of The Office and fell onto her bed dramatically, asleep within minutes.

The next day she was eating her lunch by her desk, as she'd gotten into the habit of doing, (Beca had a tendency to isolate herself if the Bellas weren't there to prevent it…), when her phone buzzed.

She glanced down. It was from Jesse. She hadn't heard from him in a couple weeks. They'd broken up about two years ago now, when Beca moved to LA, and told him she wanted to focus on her career. Despite his broken heart, they'd managed to stay in touch, and proved to operate better as friends than they did as significant others.

The text from Jess was a picture of the invitation with a brief message, "see you there?"

"Of course," she texted back. "I don't really have a choice in the matter. Chloe would have my head otherwise..." Jesse didn't text back right away, so she added, "but it should be fun."

"Definitely," he texted back, "looking forward to seeing you!"

Beca would've overanalyzed that last part had Jesse not had both a serious girlfriend and a not so serious girlfriend, all since they'd been a part.

He was with the not so serious girlfriend now, Joanna, but Beca was still trying to gather if it was going anywhere.

"Bringing Joanna?" She asked.

"Nah, I think the trebles might be a little much for her." Beca watched the dotted bubble, noting that he was still typing. She knew what was coming next. "What about you? Bringin anyone special?"

It was a bit of a sore subject. Beca hadn't dated anyone since Jesse. Granted there were a few rebound type one night stands when she first arrived on the west coast, but since then it had been quite the dry spell. Chloe had been begging her to try online dating, like she had, but Beca just didn't like people enough to do that.

"Nope," she replied simply. "Gotta get back to work. Talk to you later." 


	2. Chapter 2

As the days passed by, each girl's excitement began manifesting itself in its own way. Beca was spending every spare moment making the perfect mix for the big reunion bash, as Chloe had requested. Stacie was looking through Facebook to keep tabs on her prospects. Unfortunately a number of her favorite Trebles had rings on their fingers, or in some cases, even kids in their profile picture. Chloe was doing her best to stay in the moment, which was particularly hard, as her heart was already back in Atlanta.

"But Ms. Beale, I already finished my homework," a small child whined.

It was Chloe's turn to supervise the after school homework help room. It was her least favorite of her teacherly duties, especially in May when the kids already had spring fever. She looked sternly at the child in front of her. "Kira, that's not what Mrs. Jones said. You need to work on your book report." The eight-year-old sighed loudly and sat back down.

With the room finally quiet and the kids working (or otherwise occupying themselves in a non-disruptive fashion), Chloe's thoughts turned back to Barden.

The reunion was only a month away and it was time to start nailing down the details. Just thinking about all of this planning and organizing had Chloe grinning. She pulled out her laptop and began crafting a message to the group.

Hello pitches!  
For the sake of nostalgia (and simplicity) seniors have dibs on their rooms from the 2014-2015 school year! If you're planning to stay elsewhere let us know so we can let others stay there. Looking forward to seeing you all!

Chloe shut her laptop and looked around the room. She smiled at this rare, extended moment of calm.

Only a moment later, one of the students jumped out of their seat, "Ms. Beale, Ms. Beale!" The second grader called, at an unnecessarily loud volume, "Is it time to go?" Chloe looked at her watch and was happily surprised to see that in fact, it was. 

Beca had situated herself on her couch that evening, a container of leftover Chinese food in her lap. She opened up Facebook to take a look at Chloe's latest instructions and exhaled when she read the message, letting go of tension she hadn't realized she was holding in. She was quite happy at the prospect of bunking with Amy. It might have been the first time she'd ever felt that way, but it was because she'd been worried Chloe was going to ask her to share a room.

And, well, they'd only been horizontally situated together in a room alone, once since graduation.

It was back a few years ago, when Chloe was headed to Los Angeles for a music education conference. She had burst with excitement when shared the news. "Ready for a kickass sleepover?" Chloe asked.

"Of course," Beca said, hiding her uncertainty, "can't wait."

When Chloe arrived Beca offered her the bed, insisting she would take the couch. "Nonsense," Chloe replied, "It's a queen size bed, Bec. We can just share."

"But I roll around a lot and sometimes I kick in my sleep and hog the covers..." Beca rambled.

Chloe chuckled, "I think we'll manage."

And they did manage. They managed quite well, in fact. Beca was caught off guard by how much she loved the way Chloe seamlessly wove into her life. Chloe made extra coffee when she left early in the morning. Beca rushed home from work trying to be back in time to have dinner with Chloe. When she failed, Chloe just smiled and suggested they go out for ice cream.

Beca couldn't help but laugh when she woke up Sunday morning with Chloe's arms locked around her waist. When Chloe woke up, Beca had shared about their inadvertent snuggling.

"Whoops," Chloe replied with a giggle. "I must have thought you were Dave." Dave was the guy Chloe was seeing at the time. Beca's heart sunk when she heard his name but she couldn't explain why. Or perhaps she just wouldn't explain it. Denial came easier when they lived on opposite coasts.

Chloe's visit had brought their night in the tent back to the forefront of Beca's mind. It was a night that she had spent a lot of time thinking about (and a lot of time trying not to think about) in her years of being single. She wondered what would've happened if she just had leaned in a little further instead of turning away. What would've happened if she'd acknowledged that Chloe wasn't the only one feeling a little bit curious.

It might have made things awkward. It might have led to nothing. But regardless of the outcome, if she'd "sacked up" as she was always instructing others to do, if she had made a move, maybe the weight of regret wouldn't be lingering when she even starts to think of future relationships. And maybe she could finally enjoy one drunken evening without it ending with that moment played on loop in her head. Leaving her wondering how Chloe's lips would've felt on hers.

These thoughts were something Beca kept locked up tight. Typically refusing to even acknowledge them herself. Sometimes in these introspective moments she thought of Kommissar from Das Sound Machine too. She'd concluded a number of years ago that she wasn't straight, but didn't feel like settling on a label. She figured without a label, she shouldn't even bother to try to articulate it to anyone. Sure it wasn't logical, but Beca's desire to keep her secrets secret was powerful.

She'd come close to telling Chloe, when Chloe's online dating streak started including women. But she was too nervous to get the words out. It was always a given that Chloe was bi, or pan, actually. She'd only come out to the Bellas about a year after graduation but no one was surprised. Her love knew no bounds.

But someone like Beca? Someone so misanthropic? Admitting these complicated (and sometimes even mushy) feelings just felt different for her. So she stayed quiet. 


	3. Chapter 3

"You all were amazing," Chloe praised her students after they finished at their final performance of the year. "I'm so proud."

And she was. The Griffin Arts Academy Choir was the closest thing she had to the Bellas. Sure, in many ways they were totally different, but her heart filled up with joy in that exact same way.

As they ran towards the cafeteria for the reception, Chloe took a moment to appreciate how much they'd grown. She watched as the children ran to hug their families and ventured off to grab some cookies with their friends.

She figured she should probably socialize for a bit as well, but before she could find someone she actually wanted to talk to, Bill, the history teacher and soccer coach at the high school, approached her. Griffin Arts Academy had very few sports and even fewer athletically inclined children, but Bill took his role as soccer coach quite seriously. Chloe discovered this when she, not knowing better at the time, went on a date with Bill.

"Hey Chloe," Bill said, "Your kids were great." It was a nice compliment, but of course followed by a grin that flashed his too white teeth.

"Thanks, Bill," she said. "I've gotta go. I promised the PTA I'd help replenish the snack table," she added so she could make a quick exit. If you'd asked any other single teacher in the room, that had any interest in men, they'd say Bill was worth a shot. It wasn't that Chloe was particularly picky. She did like just about everyone. But when it came to really liking them, well Chloe had a very high standard of comparison.

Normally, she had the patience to flirt back in forth a bit just to placate Bill's need for witty banter, but tonight she didn't have it in her. She opted to chat with some other coworkers making small talk for a while, but even then her heart wasn't in it. Now that the final performance had been successfully completed, all she wanted to do was back her bags and head out. She'd been crossing off the days on her calendar, and she had just one left. Tomorrow was the last day of classes and then she was off to Atlanta.

Some of the other Bellas had to do a bit more planning to get themselves (and their families) to Barden. "Bumper, what airline are we flying?" Amy called into the kitchen as her 1 year old, Davey, started wailing.

Bumper shuffled around a bunch of papers searching for the answer. "Delta," He replied. "Did you make the hotel reservation?"

"Yup, the Holiday Inn." Even Amy, a lax parent by today's standards, figured having a baby in a sorority house during reunion was a bad idea. "They'll have the crib set up."

Bumper entered the living room and placed, a now slightly calmer Davey into his rocker. "Great," he replied, kissing Amy on the cheek.

If you'd told the Bellas, that in 2020, Amy is settled down living in domestic bliss, they would've laughed in your faces. Amy recalled the Bellas' reactions when she announced their engagement, three years ago.

She had uploaded a picture of the ring on her finger to the Bellas' group chat, with the caption "Suck it, Pitches!

Her phone quickly began ringing with a chorus of congratulations. Each filled with a bit of surprise in their voice that they just couldn't completely contain. Cynthia Rose called to offer some advice on marriage. Beca generously offered to DJ, if Amy wanted. Aubrey, the always eager planner, asked if they'd set a date.

"I just can't believe it..." Chloe commented.

"You're just mad I beat ya to the altar," Amy suggested.

"Not at all," Chloe said, "I'm ready to be a bridesmaid, but not quite ready to be a bride..."

"Well we all know you've got your eye on someone in particular…"

Chloe ignored her moving the conversation onward. "Anyway, I'm really happy for you, Amy. Bumper is such an awesome guy."

And it was true. Despite everyone's initial shock, marriage and parenthood suited the couple well. Bumper was a surprisingly competent father and truly brought out the best in Amy. She smiled thinking about one of the first nights Davey was home from the hospital. She found Bumper just sitting in a chair beside the sleeping baby, staring at Davey with a silly grin on his face.

Bumper threw a few more diapers into the suitcase and turned to his wife. "And you booked the babysitter for Saturday?" Bumper asked raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeah. This little twerp isn't gonna to keep us from having ANY fun," she announced, channeling more of her college self.

Bumper held up his fist for a bump. "Kapow," he said when her knuckles met his. She smiled, thankful to have such a silly AND caring husband. 

Beca ran into the kitchen when she heard her phone buzzing. It was Emily. "Hey Bec! I heard you've got your own room this weekend. It cool if I crash with you? I'm getting in Friday night."

"Of course, Em. Can't wait to see ya," Beca replied. And she'd meant it. The last time she'd seen Emily was two years ago, when she, Chloe, Stacie and Amy had a mini reunion and went up to Barden for Emily's graduation. They wanted to give her a proper send off - and that they did.

The night after the graduation ceremony, they all sat on the living room floor of the Bellas' house, red Solo cups in hand. "It feels like my world is ending..." Emily, drunkenly confessed to them.

"It kind of is," Chloe, who had had a few too many drinks herself, admitted.

"But...you're also going to begin some exciting new stuff," Beca consoled. And you know if Beca was being the optimistic one, they weren't in good shape.

"You are a caterpillar," Amy loudly announced. "And you are in transition. And you're wrapped up real tight in your cocoon growing all of your weird new wings and limbs and shit. And you may be wrapped up in that cocoon of awkwardness for a long while, like a longggg while like years and yea-"

"But..." Beca said cutting her off, "then you will emerge a butterfly."

Emily burst out laughing. "God what I would've given to have recorded Beca saying that," she said.

"I know. I almost puked," Beca replied.

Chloe patted her on the shoulder. "Good job. We're all proud."

Two years out, Emily was still in that "cocoon of awkwardness." She and Benji were doing well, but he'd moved to Michigan for grad school, while Emily moved to D.C. for an Americorps position. And the long distance was wearing her down. She was ready for a distraction. Ready to be out of her shitty apartment with her loud roommates and back in Atlanta for the girls' weekend she so badly needed.

That night as she crawled into bed, she smiled to herself. "Just one more day," she whispered. She turned off the light. "One more day."


	4. Chapter 4

Chloe had checked into her flight, gotten through airport security, and purchased a smoothie from Jamba Juice, yet she still had an hour and 15 minutes until her flight began boarding. She'd been so excited that she popped out of bed as soon as she opened her eyes. So at 8:00 am she hopped in a cab and headed to JFK. Now as she sat impatiently at gate B6, she was wishing she were on her way.

She had tried to convince Aubrey that they should road trip it, but Aubrey just couldn't get that kind of time off.

After three years at her job at the Lodge at Fallen Leaves, Aubrey decided she was ready for a change and the city was calling her name. She had gotten into a program for hotel management and upon finishing, had a coveted job at the Ritz Carlton in NYC waiting for her. It was her dream, but it also made taking much time off nearly impossible.

A few months earlier, when they we're having drinks after work, Aubrey knew Chloe was about to propose an idea. Those excited puppy dog eyes were a dead give away. Unfortunately, a road trip just wasn't going to happen. "I promise, Chlo, when it's your 10 year reunion we'll road trip it," Aubrey reassured, trying to keep her friend's spirits high.

Chloe frowned. "By my 10 year reunion you will have a toddler, an infant and one last one on the way."

Aubrey shrugged, considering the possibility. "Well then we'll road trip in a mini van... and take lots of bathroom breaks." Aubrey paused, picturing it. "Better yet, Jonathan will watch them."

"Glad you've got that hypothetical all sorted out, Aub."

"Give me a break," Aubrey pleaded. "We all know that I'm not the Bella you _really_ want to road trip with anyway."

Chloe wanted to get mad but she couldn't. She had too big of a mouth to keep that secret all of these years. But she still wished her friends would throw it in her face a little less often.

So after deciding she wasn't up for the 14 hour drive solo, she booked her flight. Chloe was feeling glad she hadn't chosen to take that long journey alone. That would just be 14 hours of this feeling of anxious, excited anticipation. At least it was a short plane ride."Now boarding group 2," the airport attendant finally announced. Chloe was on her way.

************************************************************************

Thursday morning, Beca grumbled when her alarm went off at 5:00 am. She was excited for the weekend but was dreading the travel day ahead. She wasn't landing in Atlanta until dinnertime (hours later than Chloe) but she had a layover in Dallas and would be in airports for hours. She kept reminding herself it would all be worth it. And she'd feel better once she got some coffee into her system.

When her flight landed, she was, in fact, feeling much better (having slept for most of the flight's duration). She grabbed herself some lunch and finally relaxed a bit. She was scrolling through all of the emails that had accumulated while she'd been in the air, when she received a Snapchat.

It was Chloe, of course. She was standing in front of the Bella house, smile wide across her face, pointing down to show off the Barden College geotag she'd added in. Beca couldn't help but smile. So many things just felt right about that picture.

She took a selfie to send in response, added the Dallas geotag and typed in, "halfway there!" She clicked send and readied herself for her next flight.

************************************************************************

"Amy!" Chloe exclaimed, as her friend walked through the door.

"Ginger!" Amy replied in return, giving her a hug.

Bumper walked in just a few steps behind, Davey in his arms. Chloe turned towards them. "And I'm so excited to meet this handsome little guy."

"I know it has been while, but we have met before," Bumper joked. Chloe rolled her eyes and reached her arms out for Bumper to pass over Davey. Without hesitation, he handed the baby over. Everyone knew how good Chloe was with kids.

For several minutes, Chloe dedicated 100% of her attention to Davey. She stared into those big brown eyes and when her arms began to get tired, she sat down with him on the couch. She jangled her keys in front of him and admired his little giggle.

"Okay, I know you could do that all day but..." Amy interrupted.

"Oh right," Chloe said, snapping out of it. "Are you headed to the hotel?"

"Nah, we checked in already. We just thought we'd stop by on our way to the aquarium."

"Davey's very excited," Bumper reported, but it was clear he was most excited of all.

"Sounds like fun!" Chloe replied.

"You're welcome to join!" Bumper invited.

Amy smirked, knowing what the answer would be. Chloe appeared to be considering it for a moment. She looked at her watch. "Nah," she said, "but thanks, have fun!"

Bumper headed out to the car and Amy turned to Chloe. "Just tell me you're not tracking her flight. That'd be much even for you."

Chloe huffed at her. "No, Amy, I'm not. I just know she'll be getting in around dinner time and I'd like to be here when she does."

Amy patted her on the shoulder. "Alright. Catch you later!"

************************************************************************

Chloe kept herself occupied for about an hour or so. She enjoyed lounging around the house catching up on her favorites on Netflix. By 7:00 though she was growing restless. She paced around the room until she'd tired herself out. Then she plopped down on the couch, facing the window and stared out to the front yard.

She kept glancing at her phone waiting for an update from Beca. Finally it came: "Getting in the cab!" After reading the message, Chloe squealed with excitement.

When she saw the brunette approaching the door, she swung it wide open. She ran to Beca and gave her a hug so strong it almost toppled them both over.

"Hi Chlo," Beca said. "I'm happy to see you too," she laughed.

"No one else here yet?" Beca asked.

"Amy and Bumper are here but they took Davey to the aquarium and I think they were going back to the hotel after. Cynthia Rose and her wife are getting in around midnight. I told them I'd just leave the house key under the doormat."

"Sounds good," Beca replied. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to stick my stuff upstairs in my room." Chloe nodded.

When Beca came back into the living room, she fell onto the couch dramatically. "Tired?" Chloe asked.

"Actually, mostly just hungry," she said, sitting back up. "I'm really craving Romeo's Pizza but they take so long to deliver, maybe we should just get Chinese from -"

Before Beca could finish her sentence the doorbell rang. "Hang on," Chloe said, running to the door. 

Beca could hear her thanking someone. Once she heard the door shut again, she could smell it. She turned around. "Oh my god. That smells amazing. Does it have mushrooms and olives and pineapple?" She asked, eyes lighting up.

Chloe made a disgusted face as she nodded. "But only on half!"

"You are the absolute best." Beca stood up and walked over to Chloe. Chloe handed over the pizza, as she assumed Beca wanted. But Beca was after something different. She took it, put it down on the table and wrapped Chloe in another hug. The first hug was expected, a passionately forceful greeting but a greeting nonetheless. This was something different. And suddenly Beca felt drunk on the smell of the redhead's perfume and the feeling of those arms around her waist.

Beca was usually trying to avoid these close encounters with Chloe but tonight her exhaustion, excitement and hunger had gotten the better of her.

Chloe laughed. "It's just pizza," she said. But they both knew it wasn't. 


	5. Chapter 5

After dinner, Beca had gone upstairs to shower and get into her pajamas. When she returned she found Chloe looking quite comfortable on the couch. She'd also changed and Beca stared for a moment to long at her skimpy tank top and boxer shorts. She was scrolling through Netflix. "Okay so I have it narrowed down to Mean Girls, Silver Linings Playbook and Bridget Jones Diary."

Beca scrunched her nose at the options, unaware they'd decided they were watching a movie. "Well if I have to choose... then Silver Linings Playbook."

"Perfect," Chloe said, undeterred by Beca's lack of enthusiasm. "I know you don't usually like movies but I really think you're going to like this one!" She said. Beca shrugged and sat down beside Chloe.

"Plus it stars Jennifer Lawrence," she added stretching out the celebrity's name. She knew Beca knew this. It was likely why she chose it. But Chloe couldn't help but mention it anyway. All of the Bellas knew of Beca's "girl crush" on Jennifer Lawrence. But Chloe, most of all, was intrigued by it.

"Uh huh," Beca nodded, trying to appear disinterested in this fact. "And Bradley Cooper," she added, remembering he was one of Chloe's favorites.

About halfway into the movie Beca got up. Chloe paused the movie. "Dude, let it play. I'm just going to make some popcorn." Chloe glared at her but resumed the movie. "I know you must've stocked up the pantry when you got here." Beca opened the closet door and discovered she was right.

"Hurry up one of my favorite parts is coming up!"

Beca returned, bowl of popcorn in hand, just in time for the diner scene. She could see why Chloe liked it. It was serious and real but somehow a bit funny too. Beca wasn't sure why but she cringed with embarrassment when JLaw's character talked about the women she'd been with. She hoped Chloe couldn't tell. Beca became hyper aware of her surroundings.

She and Chloe were alone in the Bellas' house, cuddled up on the couch, having movie night. Suddenly she felt nervous. Chloe could sense it. "You okay?" She whispered.

Beca felt Chloe's warm breath on her ear and it sent shivers down her spine. It took all of her concentration to mutter out a simple, "yeah."

When the credits rolled, Chloe looked over at her expectantly, waiting for her review. "Okay fine. It was pretty good."

Chloe smiled, satisfied. "Well for Beca Mitchell that's as good as saying its Oscar-worthy," she teased. "You know I think the secret to getting you to watch movies is finding ones with strong, sexy women..."

Beca rolled her eyes in response. Trying not to have any visible reaction to hearing the words "strong, sexy women" roll off of Chloe's tongue.

"Should we test this theory with another movie?" Chloe proposed. "I hear Shailene Woodley was quite the badass in the Divergent trilogy..."

Beca looked at her watch and back at Chloe's excited face. She looked back apologetically. "Chlo, I've been up since 5:00, I'm pretty beat. I'm going to head to bed." She was tired, sure, but she wasn't that tired. It was the thought of spending another two hours with Chloe's head resting on her shoulder, that was more than her heart could bear.

"Okay," Chloe said with a shrug, trying to play it cool. "See you in the morning!" She chirped, flashing her signature Chloe Beale smile.

************************************************************************************

Beca went upstairs and got ready for bed. It was so weird being back. She'd had plenty of opportunities. Her dad still worked at Barden, but even when she was in Atlanta she usually kept her distance. On the rare occasion she'd been on campus, she hadn't been at the house, with the exception of Emily's graduation. Lying there, she glanced around the room that had barely changed at all. She felt comforted by the nostalgia but somehow unsettled by it at the same time. Despite her long day, she had trouble falling asleep. She blamed the uncomfortable twin sized bed but that was only part of it. Her brain was running a mile a minute.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she heard her phone buzz. It was from Chloe. "Are you still up?"

Beca wanted to ignore it but curiosity got the better of her. "Yeah," she texted back. A moment later she heard steps outside her door. Then a soft knock. "Come in, Chlo." Chloe stood in the doorway sheepishly. "Yes?" Beca asked.

"My room is making this scary creaking noise. And I kept thinking about this ghost story Amy told me about this house being haunted. So I turned on the light so I'd be less scared. But then I saw a humongous spider. I tried to kill it with my boot but it escaped and now-"

Beca smiled at how adorable, embarrassed, slightly frightened Chloe looked. "And now you want to stay in here." Beca finished for her. It was nothing new. It was how about a quarter of their senior year had gone. Beca had the spare bed whenever Amy was off with Bumper.

Chloe nodded and hopped into the bed next to Beca's. "Thanks," she whispered. They were quiet for a moment. "I miss this," Chloe whispered.

Beca's heartbeat quickened. She hesitated for a moment before finally admitting it. "Me too."

************************************************************************************

The next morning Beca woke up uncharacteristically early. Perhaps it was the jetlag. Chloe was still asleep and Beca just laid there for a while admiring how peaceful she looked. Before she could repress the thought, she found herself imagining how nice it would be to wake up to this sight every morning.

She quietly snuck out of the room and wandered downstairs. She was making coffee when she heard the door open. Cynthia Rose came in, a coffee in one hand and a dozen donuts in the other. "Had to have my Dunkin," she explained.

"Hey!" Beca said. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good, Bec. Married life is treating me well," she reported with a smile.

"Glad to hear it," Beca said with a nod.

She and Cynthia Rose sat at the kitchen table catching up for a while. Finally, Cynthia Rose decided to just come out with it and ask.

"We got in pretty late last night. I thought Chloe might still be up, you know her night owl tendencies and all..." Beca, seeing the direction this was heading, started to get nervous. But she kept quiet. "It was really weird though, I popped my head in her room and she was nowhere to be found." Cynthia Rose looked at Beca mischievously, "Did you two finally get it on?"

Beca nearly spit her coffee all over the table. After replying with an emphatic "no" she felt unable to formulate words. Finally she managed to stutter out a few, "There was a spider and a creaking noise and Chloe was scared..." Beca was finally beginning to regain her composure, "she stayed in Amy's bed."

"If you say so..." Cynthia Rose teased.

Chloe made her way into the kitchen, finding Beca still shaken up and Cynthia Rose looking smug. "What are you two talking about?"

"I heard you paid someone a special visit last night..."

"Oh yeah, you know how creeped out I get by spiders," she said, brushing it off. "Can I have a donut?" Beca would never stop being impressed with how smoothly Chloe could transition conversations. Cynthia Rose passed the box to Chloe. "Ooh strawberry!"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N I know you're all getting impatient for some Bechloe action but stick with me. It'll be worth your while. Thanks for all who have reviewed or followed!

The girls had been enjoying their donuts and chatting when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Beca offered. She had recovered from her earlier embarrassment but still welcomed an escape.

"Beca!" Amy exclaimed as the door opened. She gave Beca a big hug.

"You brought Davey!" Beca said excitedly. Even if she rarely admitted it, she did like babies.

"Yup, Bumper wanted to bring him to the beer pong championship. But I thought he'd be better off here." She turned to Chloe. "So, what's on our agenda today?"

"Amy, did you lose your agenda already?" Chloe asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Amy looked back at her quizzically. "Wait there's actually an agenda?"

Chloe pointed to the coffee table. "The yellow sheet is the official college agenda and the pink one is Bella events."

Amy picked up a copy of each and began looking them over. "There's brunch with the president? I didn't think any president would be associated with the Bellas after our White House scandal."

Even Beca and Cynthia Rose looked at Amy in disbelief. "The college president," Chloe clarified.

"Oh that sounds boring..."

Chloe sighed. "Well Stacie's getting here this morning so we all could just hang around here until then I guess..." Beca gave her a thumbs up at that idea.

Amy took Davey out of his stroller, laid out his blanket and got him situated on the living room floor. The girls circled around him making silly faces. He was eating it up, grinning and giggling at them. "He's quite the attention hog," Amy informed.

"Wonder where he got that from…" Beca muttered with a smirk.

A few minutes later when some of the novelty wore off and the girls backed away, Beca kneeled beside Davey. He grabbed onto her finger. "Wow, you're a strong little guy," Beca commented. She stared at him adoringly for a little while. He hiccuped and she got startled. She turned toward Amy with concern.

Amy chuckled. "He's good," she reassured.

Beca resumed entertaining him, unaware Chloe had sat down on the couch and had begun to watch. A moment later, Davey began crying. Again she turned to Amy, who didn't appear overly concerned. "Just pick him up," she instructed. "He probably wants to be held."

Beca looked back at her with uncertainty. She nodded. Beca shrugged. "Alright Davey," she said quietly. "Up we go!" She hoisted him up in the air. "Wow you're a big boy," she commented. She began to bounce him gently. "Is that better?" The boy began to calm down.

Chloe felt a flutter in her chest, the small smirk on her face quickly becoming a grin. "You're so good with him," she said quietly. Quickly growing embarrassed, Beca just smiled, shook her head a little and looked away. As if Chloe had jinxed it with those few words, Davey began crying again.

"You know, a song will usually calm him down," Amy suggested.

Beca, slightly more self-conscious knowing Chloe was watching now, still had the urge to comfort the boy. So quietly, she began to sing. "Twinkle, Twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky..."

Chloe stared, completely entranced. It didn't matter that it was just a few notes of a child's song. It had been 5 years since she'd heard that voice singing and it was just a few feet away from her. She felt the sound in every bone in her body. And it showed on her face.

"Twinkle Twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are." She ended by giving the slightly calmer, but still cranky-looking, baby a kiss on the nose. Chloe still hadn't managed to take her eyes off of the two of them.

"Alright," Amy said, breaking the weird sexual tension that followed Beca and Chloe everywhere. "I think Davey needs his nap," she announced. "We're going to head back to the hotel for a bit. But we'll be back in time for…" she glanced down at her agendas. "The sing off?" She asked with confusion.

"Good!" Chloe chirped. "It's our prep for tomorrow's tournament before the aca-party!"

"What?" Amy, Beca and Cynthia Rose said at once.

Chloe laughed. "C'mon," she said, hoping for a little more enthusiasm. "It'll be fun!"

Around 3:00 Stacie had made it to Barden, three suitcases in tow. "You sticking around for a week?" Chloe teased upon seeing the amount of luggage.

"This one is mostly alcohol," Stacie informed.

Cynthia Rose shook her head. Beca looked at her skeptically. "Please make good choices," Chloe begged.

"I plan to make the _best_ choices," she replied. Chloe laughed and gave her friend a hug.

"So did you know about this aca-tournament?" Beca asked.

Stacie shook her head. "It's news to me."

"Alright guys," Chloe began defensively. "I only found out about if a few weeks ago! Emily's mom entered the Bellas and asked our year if we wanted in. It's casual and spontaneous. Just think of it like a giant riff off."

Chloe did not appreciate Beca's loud sigh.

"So much for a relaxing weekend," Cynthia Rose chimed in.

"And what is this sing off this afternoon?" Beca asked.

"An excuse to for her to get to sing a duet with you," Cynthia Rose added.

Beca clearly looked uncomfortable. Chloe decided the best approach was to ignore. "Mostly just for fun," she explained. "And so we can warm up out vocal cords. I know some of us have been singing more regularly than others..."

"Is that a dig?" Stacie asked.

"No!" Chloe replied defensively. "I just want all of us to shine."

Beca rolled her eyes, but when Chloe glared at her she mustered up her best "trying to be supportive" smile.

The afternoon was rather uneventful. They were saving their energy for the days (and specifically nights) ahead. Lilly had arrived just in time for the afternoon activity on the Bella's bright pink agenda, the "Skype-a-thon". It had entailed the Bellas gathering around the computer screen video chatting in 10-minute increments with the sisters that couldn't make it to the reunion in person. While they'd initially agreed merely to placate the enthused red head, by the end they'd all apologized to Chloe for deeming it a dumb activity. From Flo in Arizona working to help new immigrants transition to America to Denise on a Fulbright in Argentina, it was pretty cool to check in with everyone and see where they had ended up.

By dinnertime, Jessica and Ashley had made it to the house, having left from Orlando earlier in the day. They now worked as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty at Disneyworld. And as much as the Bellas teased, they did know that both of them considered it quite the dream job.

After the girls had eaten far too much Chinese food. Amy had returned, eager to inform everyone that Bumper was on dad duty for the next few hours.

"The gang's all here," Chloe announced happily.

But Stacie was feeling far less content. "Can we invite the guys over?" She whined.

Chloe was about to object. She had a whole speech about the bond of sisterhood and that the sing off was not orchestrated with male voices in mind and what not. But then she saw Beca's face, clearly trying to tell her she needed to let this one go and loosen up a little for the good of the group. So she took a deep breath and smiled, "That's a great idea, Stace. Why don't you give them a call?"

They all were a bit taken a back by the response, but rolled with it quickly and soon the house had transformed from a relatively quiet sanctuary to a pretty raucous rager. And Chloe's carefully orchestrated sing off devolved into drunken karaoke. Luckily, Chloe, having a drink in hand and Beca by her side, wasn't too heartbroken by the current situation.


	7. Chapter 7

"Alright! Who's up next?" Stacie asked. She'd somehow become the emcee of the karaoke aspect of the evening.

Chloe was itching to sing, but also had no desire to move from where she was sitting, right beside Beca on the couch. She was doing her best not to encroach on Beca's space too much, less she scare her off. Chloe knew Beca was a little bit like a turtle you had to coax out of its shell. But she was getting impatient.

"I'm going to go get a drink," she announced, needing to get away from the intoxicating smell of Beca's shampoo just for a second. God, she needed to find out what that was. "Want anything?" she asked.

Beca shook her head, her cup still half full with the rum and coke she'd mixed earlier. Beca was carefully pacing herself, already a bit worried of what she'd do if she let her guard down too much.

Chloe, on the other hand, had no such reservations and once she had finished her third drink, she got a little bit bolder. She scooted closer to Beca on the couch, so their hips were almost touching, and began tracing little swirls on Beca's arm. Beca wasn't sure why that was so sexy but it was. Something about the fluid motion and the softness of Chloe's fingertip on her skin.

When Amy finished her loud rendition of Tik Tok, Chloe bounced up from the couch with a sudden burst of energy. "I want to do karaoke!" She'd exclaimed.

Beca chuckled and gestured toward the "stage" they had constructed out of milk cartons. "Go for it."

"You won't sing with me?" Chloe pouted.

"Maybe later, why don't you start us off with a solo performance."

Chloe didn't need any more encouragement than that. She was already skimming through the booklet of songs that were available. Beca knew she'd chosen one when she saw the redhead grin excitedly. "What'd you pick?" Beca asked.

"It's a surprise!"

"Can I have a hint?"

"I think it's _so_ hot when Katie Holmes sings this in Dawson's Creek!" Chloe shouted proudly.

Beca chuckled. "Chlo, do you really think I've seen Dawson's creek?"

"Okay..." Chloe said thinking of another clue. "It's at the very end of one of the few movies you actually enjoy watching again and again."

Beca thought of the song just as the first chord of it began blasting. She already knew by the quickening of her heart, that the combination of Chloe and this song was going to be trouble.

"I want you to want me..." Chloe sang.

Beca could already feel her heart in her stomach.

"I need you to need me." Chloe made eye contact with her and Beca could feel her cheeks heating up.

"I'd love you to love me. I'm begging you to beg me." On that line Chloe, really started to get into it. She got down on her knees to beg which gave Beca a clear view of her ample cleavage.

Beca resorted to staring at her hands in her lap, trying to keep herself from getting any more... excited. "I'll shine up my old brown shoes. I'll put on a brand new shirt. I'll come home early from work, if you say that you love me."

And Beca caught herself picturing it, just for a moment. Chloe shining her favorite pair of brown loafers, putting on her striped blue blouse and promising Beca that if she says that she loves her, she'll come home early from work.

Beca couldn't help but smile. She snapped out of the fantasy as she noticed Chloe inching closer. By the second refrain, Chloe was off the stage, and by the third, she was mere inches from Beca. Had the song lasted any longer she would've ended up on top of her.

They both were wishing the song went on one more verse, but the music cut off. Chloe sat back down on the couch and they tried their best to pretend that moment hadn't just happened, just like they always did.

"That was quite the performance, Chlo," Beca said with a smile. She needed to acknowledge it somehow.

"Well you know I sing best when you're in the audience," she said teasingly and gave Beca a peck on the cheek.

Beca was used to Chloe's tendency to grow overly affectionate when drunk. It used to make her very uncomfortable but now it tended to just leave her feeling... confused.

"Alright," Beca said getting up from the couch. "I need another drink. I'll be back."

"Noooo," Chloe whined, grabbing onto Beca's wrist playfully.

Beca shook her loose. "I'll just be in the next room."

Beca was grabbing herself a beer and a handful of chips when she saw a familiar face in her periphery. "Em?" She asked.

Emily turned around. "Beca!" She yelled. "How the hell have you been?"

Beca gave her a hug. "When did you get here?" She asked.

"Just about an hour ago." Emily answered. "Long enough to see Chloe's beautiful declaration of love." She laughed.

Beca rolled her eyes. "You know how Chloe gets when she's drunk."

"Uh huh," Emily replied, "sure..."

"I'm gonna go outside for a bit," Beca told her, heading toward the yard. She thought fresh air might clear her head. And it did, just not the way she wanted it to. She was beginning to feel sick. She wanted to blame it on the alcohol but she'd only had two drinks.

"There you are," Chloe said when she saw Beca in the backyard. She took hold of Beca's hand. "You okay?"

Beca nodded. "Just getting tired."

"Can I have that song now?" She asked. Of course Chloe would remember. Even when drunk, she was nothing if not persistent.

"I'm not really feeling up to it tonight, Chlo," Beca said apologetically. "Maybe Stace, will sing with you?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yup," she replied. She hated seeing Chloe look hurt. Beca took both of Chloe's hands and looked right at her. "I promise I'll sing with you tomorrow." Chloe's eyes perked up at that. "But I think I'm calling it a night," Beca finished.

Chloe nodded understandingly, but didn't let Beca sneak off until she gave her another peck on the cheek. "Night!"


	8. Chapter 8

About an hour after Beca had gone upstairs, Chloe was finally winding down as well. All of the guests had left and it was just Cynthia Rose and her wife and Jessica and Ashley left hanging around in the living room.

"See you all in the morning!" Chloe announced. She brushed her teeth and got ready for bed, but when she went back to her room she was met with a surprise.

"Ooooh..." Stacie groaned as Chloe opened the door. Chloe, Immediately noticing the naked man on top of Stacie, shouted, "sorry!" and shut the door as quickly as she could.

She chuckled. Although mildly annoyed at the inconvenience, she was happy that Stacie was having exactly the weekend she was hoping for. Less than a minute later, she was popping her head into Beca's room.

"Beca," she whispered. "Stacie's having sex in my room. "I'm going to stay here." She walked over to the bed she usually occupied and found Emily. She looked surprised. Almost as if she was entitled to that bed in a room that was never hers when she lived in that house 5 years ago.

"Chlo, I promised Em the bed. She got in earlier tonight. Can't you just go on the couch?"

"Bec, you know that couch is horrible. Scoot over," she said, inviting herself into Beca's bed now.

"Are you kidding me?" Beca said, already responding a little too strongly. Chloe glanced over at Emily to see if she was stirring, but they all knew she was a deep sleeper. Thankfully.

"This is a twin bed!" Beca reminded her.

"You're tiny. It's fine," Chloe replied, already hopping in.

"Chloe we're not going to be able to sleep like -"

"Shush. Just give me a minute to get situated." Chloe wiggled around a bit, finding a comfy position. "See..." She said.

Beca began to slide to the other side of the tiny bed. "Chloe, you can't just...you can't just..." Beca crashed to the ground.

"God Beca. What is up with you? You're like repulsed by me all of a sudden!" She gave Beca a moment to respond but Beca couldn't manage to make any words come out of her mouth.

Chloe stormed out, not quite slamming the door but closing it firmly enough that Emily did blink her eyes wide open for a second before drifting back off.

Beca took a deep breath and forced herself to get out of bed. She slowly crept down the stairs, a knot in her stomach. She made her way over to the couch and sat beside Chloe. Beca turned toward her and caught her wiping away tears.

And though Beca didn't think it was possible, she felt worse. She still couldn't figure out what she wanted to say so she just sat there for a minute. She reached out and took Chloe's hand. This seemed to calm her a bit. Beca was thankful that the tears had subsided.

"Chloe," Beca said. "I could never be repulsed by you." It wasn't the most romantic thing to say but at least it was a start.

"Could've fooled me," Chloe said, still hurt.

"Chloe," Beca said again. Then she stopped.

"What is it Bec? You can tell me anything."

Beca nodded, knowing it was true.

"Chloe," she began again, hoping the third time would be the charm. "I'm sorry I was so freaked out. It's because I've been wanting to tell you I'm bi. I just hadn't been able to you know, get it out."

Chloe smiled. She wanted so badly to say, "Of course you are bi. It is literally the most obvious thing in the world." But she resisted. She knew how hard this was for someone as private as Beca. Though she still wasn't so sure why it had fueled quite so much tension between them.

"That's cool," Chloe said with a shrug, a small smile starting to form on her still damp face.

"I know that it's not a big deal and that you are pan and we know lots of gay people and its 2020 for god sake..."

"But me crawling into your bed made you uncomfortable. Since you had this secret," Chloe explained, throwing Beca a bone. Beca nodded. They were both quiet for a moment.

"Beca?" She asked.  
"Yeah?" Beca replied.  
"Are you sure there's not anything else you want to tell me?"  
Chloe could feel it. She could feel it in the way that Beca looked at her, during the song, when she came out. But she still couldn't just ask. She reminded herself, as she did before, that Beca was like a turtle.

Of course there was something Beca wanted to tell her. The words were on the tip of her tongue. But she still couldn't quite bring herself to say it. She shook her head.

They sat for another moment awkwardly. Chloe's eyes were surprisingly solemn. Finally, Beca broke the silence by hitting the rock solid couch. "This couch _is_ really shitty..."

Chloe perked up. "Does that mean I can..."

Beca smiled, grabbed Chloe's arm and led them both back to bed.

Chloe and Beca both laid on their sides, facing each other. "See Bec, this isn't so bad. It's not like I'm making you spoon me or anything!"

Beca rolled her eyes. "Good night, Chloe..."

"Night! I love you."

"Love you too," Beca murmured quietly. Chloe smiled to herself and quickly drifted off to sleep.

************************************************************************************

The next morning Emily woke up early to go for a morning run. That plan quickly got derailed when she discovered exciting news she felt obligated to report.

Emily hurried into the kitchen where she found Cynthia Rose, Jessica and Ashley, and Stacie eating breakfast discussing last nights escapades. "You guys! You guys!" She interrupted excitedly. "You have to come see this!"

They were all confused, but reluctantly followed Emily up the stairs. She put her finger to her lip, signaling the others to keep quiet, while she slowly opened the door.

"Well it's about damn time," Cynthia Rose said, in response to the sight before her. Stacie's eyes grew wide.

Beca and Chloe were spooning. There was no other way to describe if. Chloe was the little spoon and Beca's arms were wrapped securely around her waist, their two bodies touching as much as seemed humanly possible.

"They've spent nights together before but not like well…" Stacie began to whisper.

"Chloe," Beca said, in her sleep.

"This just keeps getting better Cynthia rose said.

"Chloe, I need you."

"Okay..." Emily said, immediately realizing she opened up a can of worms much larger than she was expecting. "Who wants pancakes?" She began ushering the Bellas back downstairs, but not before Stacie snapped a picture.

"What?" Stacie asked defensively, when they were back at the breakfast table. "I just think Audrey needs to see this. She'll know what to do."

"You guys," Emily said seriously now. "We're not going to _do_ anything. In fact, we're all going to pretend this _never_ happened. Kapeesh?"

They all nodded. Stacie pressed send anyway. Oops.

************************************************************************************

Chloe woke up first, more than content to find the brunette's arms wrapped around her. She laid there for a minute, wondering what to do. Regardless, Beca would wake up freaked out by the situation. As much as it pained her, Chloe tried to gently move Beca's arms from her waist. But she had no luck. She considered pretending to go back to sleep so at least Beca could wake up "first" and have the upper hand.

But Chloe really had to pee. She sighed. This was ridiculous. "Beca" she whispered as she pulled at her arms again. "Beca," she said a little bit louder.

Beca woke up startled, no longer accustomed to sharing a bed with anyone, much less Chloe. "Oh shit," she said pulling her arms away and scooting as far to the other side as she could. "I'm sorry I must have -"

"No apologies! You're a good cuddler," she said with a smile. "I just realllllllly need to pee." And with that, she jumped up and left.


	9. Chapter 9

Amy returned to the house later that morning, Davey in her arms.

"You brought Davey back," Chloe said with a smile. She held her arms out, wanting to hold him again.

"Well... I found out that _apparently_ Bumper took him to the treble party last night and they built him a play pen out of beer cans! So I figured I'd keep him close. The worst that'll happen here is he'll get his nails painted by Stacie."

"I wouldn't!" She said, offended.

Chloe laughed.

"So what's the plan today captain?" Amy asked.

"Well..." Chloe began, "there's an all campus barbecue at 1:00. Then we have our acapella 'tournament' at 7:00 followed by our aca-party at 9:00!"

"Wow. That leads me to believe we have 6 hours of unstructured time?" Stacie said in excitement and slight disbelief.

"5 of those are probably rehearsal for this 'informal' tournament," Beca said grumpily.

Chloe did not appreciate the snark. "Nope," she said smugly. "It's supposed to be beautiful out. I'm planning to take a blanket and a Mike's hard and sit out by the lake. You all can do whatever you'd like." She said with a shrug.

"Red has mellowed..." Amy noted.

"Cause she got LAID last night," Cynthia rose let slip.

Chloe looked confused but unconcerned. Beca on the other hand...

"What?" Beca asked a bit too loudly.

"I saw you two together this morning looking so cute and well...people jumped to some conclusions," Emily admitted.

"Nope," Chloe said nonchalantly. "Just feeling relaxed because I'm excited that Aubrey's getting here in an hour. Everyone needs to chill..."

"Well..." Beca said awkwardly, "I'm starving and I'm going to head to this picnic. Anyone want to join?"

Most of the girls followed Beca's lead but Chloe held back, waiting at the house for Aubrey. At last the doorbell rang.

Chloe greeted her with a big hug. "I missed you," she said. 

"Chloe..." Aubrey said. "I saw you last week."

"I know but..."

"Is it that you're dying to talk to me about something?"

"Are you actually psychic?" Chloe asked.

"No but I have _really_ good Intel," she explained holding up her phone which displayed the picture of Beca and Chloe cuddling.

"That's super creepy," Chloe said, "even for you."

"Relax," Aubrey replied. "Stacie sent it. The girls were in a tizzy this morning. You know they're desperate for a happy ending to this star-crossed lovers story."

"You know it's really not a star-crossed lover sort of thing…"

"I know, I know, but overzealous redhead and oblivious DJ girl love story takes a lot longer to say." Chloe nodded in agreement. "Anyone else home?"

"The rest of them just left for the barbecue," Chloe informed.

"Perfect," Aubrey said, squeezing Chloe's shoulders, "Now spill."

After Chloe had recounted the happenings of the last few days, she looked at Aubrey, waiting for advice, guidance. But instead, she saw an unfamiliar expression on Aubrey's face. She looked stunned.

"Shit Chloe," Aubrey said. "I never thought I'd say this, but she may finally be ready."

"But what if I finally say something or do something and it ruins everything? What if she doesn't feel that way or can't accept it?"

"What if she can?" Aubrey asked, a glimmer of hope in her eye.

************************************************************************************

"Becawwww!"

Beca heard it from across the lawn. A grin spread across her face. She'd missed him.

"How're you doing?" Jesse asked, giving her a hug. She didn't respond immediately but he could read her face well. "Let's go get a beer," he suggested.

"Or three," she countered.

He chuckled and they got some food before settling down by a large oak tree.

"Chloe?" He asked, guessing the cause of Beca's troubles.

She was caught off guard. Sure, she'd expressed some interest in women around him, especially when she was trying to be more of a 'bro' post-breakup. But she'd never talked about Chloe.

He smiled, already sensing her putting up her walls. "We don't have to talk about it," he offered. "We can just drink if you want..."

"I'll drink to that," she said clanking his can.

"I just want to say one thing," he added.

"I knew that was too easy."

"I want you to be happy. I _so_ want you to be happy Beca. And if you think she could make you happy, you have to go for it."

Beca shoved him. It wasn't the 'thank you' he deserved, but luckily he knew what it meant. "Anyway..." Beca said, demanding a change in conversation. "How's Joanna?"

"She's good," he said with a smile. "Getting serious I think."

"Congrats, man."

"I miss chilling with you though," he said. If it were anyone else it'd be awkward but it was Jesse, so somehow it just felt normal. She smiled and nodded in agreement.

************************************************************************************

Aubrey and Chloe made their way to the barbecue a bit later. Settled on Chloe's blanket, they resumed their heart to heart.

"But Aub, how do I even?"

"You're telling me you've had 9 years to think about this and you don't have a plan?"

Of course she'd made plans. She'd configured hundreds of different scenarios in which she confessed her love to Beca. But these grand gestures somehow didn't seem like the right approach. For better or worse, she understood the need to be careful with this one.

"I have ideas," Chloe said defensively. "You know I don't lack imagination. But I'm kind of thinking that I should go simple rather than extravagant."

"You know what I'm thinking?" Aubrey asked. "The only thing that matters at this point is sooner rather than later. You have two days, Beale."

Oh, Aubrey and her tough love. But unfortunately she was right.

By 4:00 all of the Bellas had made their way back to the house. They lazed on the couch, resting up for their big night.

"I'm just saying," Aubrey began, "We _are_ all here. It wouldn't hurt us to warm up a little or strategize..." 

Chloe giggled. They'd all been making fun of _her_ for being the biggest Type A personality in the house. Then Aubrey arrived.

"I'm serious, you guys!" She continued. Everyone groaned.

"I think it'll be hard to strategize without the Bellas from the other years here," Emily pointed out.

"Who is she again?" Aubrey asked with annoyance.

"Aubrey, be nice," Chloe scolded. "This is Emily. And she's right. Katherine invited us to participate we can't go planning everything without her."

"Well let's get her over here!"

"We are _not_ inviting my mother," Emily said definitively.

"Your mother?"

Cynthia Rose sighed loudly. "Can someone get the two of them up to speed?"

"Regardless, we don't know how this tournament works. How would we even strategize if we wanted to."

"I know how it works." Aubrey said matter-of-factly.

"Of course you do," Beca muttered.

"The Bellas won at _my_ five year reunion."

"Alright Aubrey, how about you explain the rules and we'll talk strategy for an hour and then we can all just hang out till we head over." Chloe suggested trying to accommodate everyone.

"Fine," Aubrey said. Wasting no time, she launched into an explanation. " So there are three rounds. The first we feature 3 soloists. Then we need two pairs of duets. The last round is the group performance where we can have up to 12 participants."

"This so doesn't feel like an informal riff off..." Stacie said.

"It'll be fun!" Chloe encouraged.

"The part that is like a riff off is that our songs have to be on theme," Aubrey explained

"Like what?" Lilly asked.

"Well when I competed as a soloist, the theme was songs sung by Disney princesses. It was pretty challenging for some of the boys..." Aubrey said with a grin. "I took it away with 'Part of your World," she boasted.

"I _wanted_ to start planning our groups but if we don't have our entire team, I guess we can wait." Aubrey conceded. Chloe patted her shoulder comfortingly. The girls began to disperse. "But we definitely should arrive at the auditorium early!" Aubrey yelled after them.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N If you don't know the song "Take Me or Leave Me" from Rent, you might want to listen before you read Thanks for all of the support. Hope you enjoy this one!

For the sake of Aubrey's sanity, the girls were all ready to leave promptly at 6:15, as instructed. They arrived at the auditorium to find Katherine ready to take charge.

"Hi mom," Emily said giving her mother a hug.

"I missed you. It's been too long," Katherine said dramatically. Emily rolled her eyes. They hadn't seen each other since Christmas but they had been chatting on the phone weekly.

After the brief, emotional moment, Katherine snapped back into leadership mode. "We have soloists from the class of 2005 and 1995, but we need one more. We also have one duet team set, but we need one more, as well. And five of you can participate in our group number."

"Okay let's huddle up!" Aubrey announced.

Emily jumped in immediately. "Someone here needs to take the duet ASAP before my mom decides that a mother daughter duo would wow the judges." The Bellas laughed. "Seriously, I cannot handle that today."

"Alright Em," Chloe said, "why don't you take the solo then. "Beca and I will do the duet?" She looked to Beca for approval.

Beca did her best to hide how nervous that made her. "Sure, sounds good," she said with a smile.

"Perfect. Then Cynthia Rose, Lilly, Jessica and Ashley and Stacie can do our group number." Aubrey said.

"What about you?" Beca asked.

"I've had my turn," Aubrey replied.

"You sure?" Chloe asked, impressed but a little surprised by her selflessness.

"Just think of me as your coach."

"Awesome," Emily said. "I'll go tell my mom."

"I'm still bummed Amy couldn't make it," Chloe said, "but it did make choosing our team easier."

"She'll be back for the party," Stacie said. "Clearly, she has her priorities in order."

"Let's grab seats," Jessica said. "The soloists are going on soon." They found spots in the front and eagerly waited for the start of the show.

"Welcome to the 2020 Alumni Aca-tournament," the announcer began. He introduced the groups, 6 in total and declared it time to get started. "The category for soloists is... Songs sung by characters under the age of 21! If you're unsure of a character's age, you're welcome to use smartphones," he added with a laugh. "You now have two minutes to consult with your team about a song choice. Please also come ready with a back up song if yours has been taken."

Chloe nodded. Starting to get the idea of how this was going to work.

"How about Annie?" Katherine suggested excitedly. "You were so cute singing 'Tomorrow' in your 5th grade production."

"No," Emily ruled it out quickly.

"Oooh what about a Disney character... They're all young." Chloe offered.

"Mulan!" Beca shouted with excitement. "Is she young enough? You'd kill it with 'Reflection'"

"Looking it up!" Aubrey shouted, whipping out her phone.

"Hairspray could be good too," Ashley chimed in.

"Yeah, what about 'You Can't Stop the Beat'?

"30 seconds to lock in your choices. First come, first serve." The announcer boomed.

"Mulan is 16!" Aubrey reported.

"Okay I'm going up!" Emily said, already jogging back to the stage.

Emily did kill it up there, as Beca had said she would. A guy singing Corner of the Sky certainly gave her a run for her money, but she was undoubtedly one of the best.

Two rounds later, after Katherine had finished belting out 'Before He Cheats' for the American Idol winner songs category, she returned to her seat. "They don't tabulate the scores until the end," Katherine explained. "Get on up there," she said, giving Beca a nudge.

"The category is... Duets sung in Broadway plays that were also made into movies. Doesn't matter if it was a movie first or a play first but both must exist!"

"'16 going on 17' could be cute!" Emily proposed.

Beca nodded, okay with that idea.

"Oooh what about 'A Whole New World.' They put Aladdin on Broadway!" Cynthia Rose suggested.

Chloe was being unusually quiet. She had an idea in mind but she was keeping it to herself. Thankfully, that's what best friends are for.

Aubrey chimed in, "I know! They should sing 'Take Me or Leave Me'!" Chloe smiled.

"Perfect," Beca said, surprising just about everyone. She knew how much Chloe loved Rent. And they'd watched the movie together enough times that they knew it by heart. "Let's go lock in our answers. The Aladdin one can be our back up."

Chloe and Beca were almost at the stage but still within earshot when Cynthia Rose added, "you know you really should end that song with a kiss..."

Chloe glared back at them. "We really don't need to," Chloe said to Beca. "It's kind of an angry song. In the song in the movie they don't kiss." 

Beca nodded. "Could be a crowd pleaser though..." she commented, raising an eyebrow. She tried to gage Chloe's reaction, but could only see surprise.

Once Chloe regained control of her facial expressions, she smiled. "Okay," she said cheerfully, "I'll give you a peck on the lips at the end then."

"I assume you'd like to sing Maureen's part?" Beca asked, though she didn't need to.

Chloe nodded excitedly. "Can I?"

"Of course," Beca agreed. "Ready?" She asked. "We're up first."

The music began to play and the Bellas were already cheering.

" _Every single day, I walk down the street. I hear people say 'Baby' so sweet. Ever since puberty, everybody stares at me boys, girls, I can't help it baby_ ," Chloe sang.

Beca knew that she didn't come in for a while. For a duet, it was pretty uneven, but she didn't mind. She was watching Chloe intently. She knew that if she were playing the character, she ought to look angry or at least displeased, but she couldn't help but look at Chloe with awe and adoration in her eyes.

" _So be kind and don't lose your mind, just remember that I'm your baby_ ," Chloe continued. " _Take me for what I am, who I was meant to be… and if you give a damn take me baby or leave me_."

The Bellas stared, captivated by the scene unfolding before their eyes. Aubrey beamed like a proud mother. Cynthia Rose, knowing the words to this song better than any other Bella still in the audience, eagerly awaited the later verse. She nudged Aubrey and smiled. "It's coming up."

" _Take me for what I am, who I was meant to be… and if you give a damn take me baby or leave me_." Chloe looked at the Bellas, smiled and kept going. " _No way, can I be what I'm not, but hey don't you want your girl hot?_ " Chloe slowly ran her hands down her entire body at that line. Beca's breath caught in her throat.

" _Don't fight, don't lose your head, because every night who's in your bed_?" Chloe sang. The Bellas exploded in a mixture of laughter and cheers.

Beca turned bright red. Of course _that_ line was right before it was her part. She hoped her voice wouldn't be too shaky. " _It won't work. I look before I leap. I love margins and discipline. I make lists in my sleep, baby what's my sin?"_

The first line did in fact come out shaky. But when Chloe's eyes caught hers, everyone else in the room disappeared and she regained her confidence.

" _Never quit, I follow through, I hate mess but I love you_ ," Beca sang, inching closer to Chloe as she did. " _What to do with my impromptu baby_?"

Beca took both of Chloe's hands in hers as she began the next verse. Although it was rare for Chloe to be nervous, especially on stage, she felt her stomach jump, her mind already trying to decipher if Beca was doing this for show or... something else.

" _So be wise because this girl satisfies. You've got a prize don't compromise. You're one lucky baby._ " Chloe was entranced, eyes wide. It was the side of Beca she'd always longed to see.

Chloe joined in on the final chorus. " _Take me for what I am_ ," they sang. Then alternated, Beca singing out " _who I was meant to be..._ " first, followed by Chloe. Beca's voice was confident at this point but now, Chloe was getting shaky, as Beca's face inched closer and closer.

" _And if you give a damn, take me baby or leave me_ ," Beca sang. They were practically in each other's faces at this point. Chloe continued," _take me baby or la-la-la-leave me_."

And although the plan was for Chloe to lean in for a peck, before she could act, Beca's lips were on hers. Chloe was ready to pull away and finish the remaining two lines, when Beca pulled her in closer. Suddenly, she felt the warmth of Beca's tongue and this peck had become a 1...2...3...4 second kiss. The crowd was roaring, Bellas loudest of all.

Chloe, feeling uncertain and shaken, decided the song did need its proper end. "Guess I'm leaving, I'm gone." She sang, and ran off the stage.

While they would've all liked to chalk it up to a dramatic exit, the look on Chloe's face as she left made it clear it was something else. The audience was still cheering. The next pair was getting ready for their number. And Beca was standing off to the side, confused and uncertain of her next move.

She saw Aubrey quickly walking in the direction Chloe had headed. Beca ran to catch up with her. "It's okay, Aub. Let me."

Aubrey looked back at her, fire in her eyes, but a smile beginning to form on her face. "Good. If you didn't go after her, I was going to _kill_ you."

And Beca believed it.


	11. Chapter 11

Beca found Chloe on a bench just outside the building. She looked at the redhead's tear stained face with concern.

"Hey," Beca said with a smile. She sat down and turned towards Chloe. "This is not how this weekend was supposed to go. Me causing all this crying..." Chloe smiled a little. "Come here," Beca said and gave her a hug.

Chloe still didn't say anything. "Chlo, I get why I upset you last night. But this one, this one you're going to have to explain…" Beca waited for a reply, but was met with nothing. "Was it the kiss?" She prompted. Chloe nodded. "I'm sorry if it was too much. I got a little carried away."

"It's not that," Chloe said. Beca waited for further explanation. "The kiss was... The kiss was... perfect." Beca looked at her quizzically, wondering what then was the problem.

"Bec, if that was all for show, I can't do this anymore. My heart can't fucking take it." Chloe had never looked so fragile, as if Beca's answer to this could break her.

Beca looked down at her lap. Then forced herself to look up and make eye contact, before replying. "It wasn't," she said quietly. "It wasn't just for show," she repeated, more confidence in her voice this time.

Relief washed over Chloe. But she needed more. After nearly a decade of this back and forth she needed to know. "We've done this long enough. You gotta take me, Bec, or leave me," she said with a smirk.

When Chloe put it like that, so clearly, so cut and dry, Beca couldn't have been more certain of the answer. She could never leave Chloe. "You are such a dork," Beca said with a grin.

"But..." Chloe said, grinning now too.

"You're my dork," Beca replied. "And I love you." No one watching this time, Beca leaned in for another kiss, one that was just for them.

They stayed on that bench for almost 10 minutes, lips locked, hands roaming, when finally Beca pulled away. "We should probably get back inside. Check back in with the team. Go get ready for the party..." Beca said, a hint of sadness in her voice. Chloe pouted. "I promise, we'll talk more about... all of this, later."

"You know I usually am all in favor of forcing stoic Beca Mitchell talk about her feelings but that's not really what I had in mind for later..."

Beca laughed and playfully hit Chloe's arm as they walked back to the auditorium. The Bellas didn't even need to ask for an update when the two returned. From their grins to their slightly messed up hair, the girls knew all was well with Bechloe.

"Did we win?" Chloe asked.

"Nope," Emily said. "We came in second."

Chloe shrugged. "Second is respectable." Although normally competitive, she really couldn't not have cared less about the outcome of the tournament at this point.

"Plus we got an honorable mention," Stacie added, mischievous smile on her face.

"For?" Beca asked.

"Steamiest duet," she replied.

"You guys!" Chloe laughed, assuming they were teasing.

"No really," Aubrey said. She held up a silly paper certificate that said "2020 Aca-Tournament, Steamiest Duet, Chloe Beale and Beca Mitchell, Bellas". Chloe burst out laughing. Even Beca, although embarrassed couldn't help but hide a small smile. Chloe took it from Aubrey. "I'm going to frame it!" She announced.

"Like hell you are..." Beca replied, reaching for the paper.

"What are you going to do about it Mitchell, huh?" She asked, holding the paper high above her head.

"I know exactly what I'm going to do about it." Beca put her hands on Chloe's waist and gave her a quick kiss, confirming all of the Bellas' suspicions.

Chloe put her arm down and let Beca snatch the certificate from her. "I had a feeling that would work," Beca said smugly.

"Yeah, yeah," Chloe said. "Just wait until I try that on you."

"Alright, alright. Really it's time to get back to the house. People are coming over to the party in" Aubrey looked at her watch, "18 minutes!"

Beca rolled her eyes but followed as Aubrey led them all back home.

************************************************************************

When they got back to the house, a bit of awkwardness set in. Chloe began obsessing. What now? She was, thankfully, confident that they were doing more than fooling around but where exactly were they? Do they act like the couple, that they've basically always been, that's been together 10 years? Do they act like two people who have just begun dating? No, that would be too weird. And what's next? They were flying back to different coasts tomorrow.

Chloe could not stop these thoughts from running through her brain. And because of that, she was uncharacteristically tempted to keep her distance.

She and Beca spent a while hanging out on the couch, practically on each other's laps, chatting with a few older Bellas they'd met at ICCAs. But a little while later, when Chloe got up to get another drink, she meandered a bit, taking a detour outside to look up at the stars.

"There you are," Aubrey said. "What's up with you? Go be with your other half. You sure as hell waited long enough." Chloe didn't respond and Aubrey's face softened. "Are you okay?"

And at rapid-fire speed all of the concerns that Chloe had been thinking about came tumbling out. "Whoa, there," Aubrey replied. "Slow down." She took a deep breath. "Chloe, why don't you just try to let tonight be tonight?"

"Because tonight ends, Aubrey," Chloe snapped back. "And I want tonight to be forever."

Aubrey sighed. "And you're afraid saying that'll terrify your emotionally stunted DJ," she said, putting the pieces together. Chloe nodded. Aubrey raised an eyebrow, reconsidering her initial opinion. "Then take it slow."

"But I don't wanna..." Chloe whined, putting her head on Aubrey's shoulder.

Aubrey laughed. "I know sweetie. I know."

************************************************************************

"Bold move, Mitchell," Jesse said proudly, as he sat down next to her on the couch. She rolled her eyes. "Nah I mean it. You deserve your happy ending."

"Are you _trying_ to make me gag?" She asked.

"Shut up. We both know you're a big softie," he teased. "So," he continued, "what's next?"

"What's next?" Beca repeated with confusion.

"Are you doing the whole long distance thing, is one of you moving, if so, would you share a place..."

Beca's eyes widened, as the reality set in. Jesse immediately regretted his words. He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Don't you dare retreat, Beca. This is what you want. I promise. You can figure out the details later." She nodded hesitantly. "Do you understand?" He asked seriously.

"Ugh, yes Jesse. I'm not 18 anymore. I'm capable of coping."

"There we go. There's my snarky-bordering-on-rude, Beca."

"C'mon dude, let's go grab a drink."

They ran into Emily by the drinks. Her phone was ringing but she was just staring at it. "It's Benji," she explained.

"Boyfriend trouble?" Beca asked.

"Not anything serious. Just wish he were here."

"Shouldn't you, um, pick up the phone then?" Jesse asked.

Beca glared at him and moved away, occupying himself by the chip bowl.

"I know he has to start his internship Monday but I don't know... Long distance is hard, man," Emily confided.

Beca nodded, her thoughts again turning to Chloe, her future and all its uncertainty.

She patted Emily on the shoulder. "I know Em," she comforted. "I'm sorry."

When Emily's spirits seemed to have raised a bit, Beca snuck off upstairs.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N **Warning this chapter is rated M** I also wanted to give a shout out to** **xcombixgirlx for giving me the suggestion of the song used in this chapter. Thanks! I hope I did it justice**

 **FYI since the reunion is drawing to a close, the next chapter (Chapter 13) will be the last, but I'm thinking about a sequel, so stay tuned!**

"Have you seen Beca?" Chloe asked Amy.

"Nope, sorry," she answered.

Chloe turned to Lilly and Cynthia Rose who shook their heads. Chloe furrowed her eyebrows. Maybe Jesse would know. She found him thumb-wrestling another Treble and pulled him away. "Have you seen Beca?"

"Not in a bit," he replied. Chloe was beginning to get worked up. "Chill," he said. "She's probably upstairs taking a breather. You know how she can get a big parties."

Chloe nodded and headed back into the living room.

"Was that the doorbell?" Amy asked, confused. "Who's ringing the effin' doorbell. Get your ass in here! This is a party!" She yelled toward the door.

Bumper laughed. It had become less frequent to see this side of his wife and he appreciated the occasions she made an appearance.

Benji walked through the door. "Hey," he said shyly.

"Hey!" Jesse said, walking over to greet him. "Awesome surprise, dude. Em has no clue."

Benji smiled. "Know where I can find her?"

"I'd check outside. A bunch of the Bellas are on the porch."

"Thanks," he said. He found Emily quickly. He stepped up behind her and tapped on her shoulder.

"Benji!" She shouted when she turned around. After a long hug, she looked back at him confused. "You're here for 24 hours and heading to Chicago for your internship?"

He smiled. "So... I kind of lied about my start date." Emily looked so excited that the Bellas couldn't help but eavesdrop. "I start next Monday. So..." He whipped out a ticket to New York. "Your mom told me what flight you were on." Emily was so happy, that she wasn't even sure what to say, so she just kissed him instead.

************************************************************************

As soon as Chloe had said hello to Benji, she was back in search of Beca. She figured the best bet was Beca's room, but she found it empty. That was when she got a little freaked out. "Where are you?" She texted. Having no desire to go back into the heart of the party while she waited for a reply, Chloe went to her own room. There she found Beca, curled up in a ball on Stacie's bed, tears streaming down her face.

"Hi," Beca said quietly. Feeling embarrassed, she quickly tried to wipe away her tears. "Sorry. I was just hiding for a bit," she explained. "I went to my room first, but a couple from the class of 1985 was making out in there," Beca said unhappily.

Chloe chuckled before returning to focus on the situation at hand. "So… what exactly are you hiding from?" She asked.

"Everything. Life. Tomorrow. You..." She replied. "Yes, I do see the flaw in hiding from you in your room."

"Well it's probably for the best. Benji and Emily will be 'occupying' yours tonight, probably quite passionately, given how long they've been apart."

"Great," Beca said, annoyed.

Chloe sat down next to Beca and put her arm around her. "Alright Bec, what's up?"

Beca didn't say anything. But Chloe knew to just wait. Finally, Beca spoke. "I don't know what's next. Being back here has been amazing. Seeing you has been amazing. But tomorrow-" Tears began to fall down Beca's face again, and while Chloe hid it well, it was terrifying her.

The worries sounded identical to the ones she'd relayed to Aubrey. Hearing them from Beca though, was like a knife to the heart. One of them had to be brave. One of them had to be the one to say: It will be okay. We will make this work.

Chloe wanted to have a conversation about their future. She needed to have it. But she looked at the tired, stressed Beca before her and knew what Beca needed right now was her best friend, not her... well whatever they were.

Chloe forced a smile. "Beca," she said. Beca looked up at her. "What if we just hit pause?" She asked. The words were killing her as she said them but she knew it would calm Beca down.

"Pause?" Beca asked.

"You're overwhelmed. I'm a bit overwhelmed. What if we just put on a movie and laid here? No pressure. No worries. No talk of tomorrow. Just me and you, watchin' a movie..." She noticed Beca take a deep breath. "Doesn't that sound nice?" Beca nodded.

"Alright then," Chloe continued, "I'm going to take a quick shower. Why don't you find something on Netflix?" Chloe pulled her laptop from its case and handed it to Beca. "I'll be back in a few," she said.

Beca sat there for a minute staring at the laptop, not even bothering to open it up. She was lost in thought. Sure, all of the things she'd told Chloe she was worried about were true. Sure, it was tempting to take advantage of this 'pause.' But something else was bothering her, something bigger. That regret hanging over her head. That night in the tent, 5 years prior.

She heard Chloe singing from that bathroom and suddenly she realized she had to face the facts. If she let this night go by on 'pause', if she didn't do something to show Chloe that she was all in this time, she would never forgive herself. And with that in mind, she ignored the feelings of terror that were making her stomach queasy and she took a deep breath.

Slowly, she stripped off her clothes, put on her towel and entered that bathroom. Chloe was too caught up belting out another rendition of 'Take me or Leave Me' to hear Beca open and shut the door as she entered.

Beca took another deep breath and hung up her towel. She pulled back the curtain just a bit and stepped in.

Chloe gasped and stared at her, waiting for some sort of explanation.

"I realized how much I miss singing with you," Beca said with smile. "So I thought I'd join you."

"Seriously," Chloe said with a smirk, "I'm nude."

Beca knew Chloe was just giving her a hard time, mimicking what she had said when Chloe had been doing the intruding, way back when. Beca rolled her eyes. "I thought maybe," she said, appearing almost shy now, "you'd sing one of _my_ lady jams."

Chloe raised an eyebrow with interest and Beca took that as a yes, so she began to sing.

"In the beginning, I never thought it would be you. When we were chillin', smilin' in the photo booth."

Chloe grinned. Beca nodded at her to continue. "But we got closer, 'til you were eating off my spoon. And coming over and we would talk all afternoon."

Beca stepped closer to Chloe before beginning the next verse. "Tonight we'll just get drunk, disturb the peace, find your hands all over me." The last word came out as barely a squeak, as Chloe, taking the song literally, ran her hands down Beca's sides. "And then you bite your lip," Beca sang, "whisper and say..."

Chloe pulled Beca close, her head just behind Beca's ear, her breasts now flush against Beca's back, "we're going all the way," she whispered

At that Beca turned around, pressed Chloe against the shower wall and kissed her. When she pulled away, Chloe looked so content, nearly angelic, but there was hunger in her eyes.

"You know," Chloe said. "I love singing with you, especially in here, but I'm _really_ enjoying discovering all of the other talented things you can do with that mouth." Beca blushed. "Want to head back to the bedroom?"

Beca was already grabbing her towel. "You read my mind."


	13. Chapter 13

Chloe woke up first that next morning, hopeful Beca wouldn't freak out this time, when she discovered their bodies were once again entwined, this time without clothes.

Chloe sighed contently. The fears of the future had dissipated, at least temporarily, and she was filled with a confidence that somehow they would make this work.

Beca opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Chloe's smile. "You okay?" Chloe asked, trying to gauge Beca's initial reaction.

Beca nodded, a sleepy smile on her face. She pulled Chloe closer to her.  
"I'm great," she whispered. "You?"

"Never been better," Chloe replied grinning.

They laid there for a few moments before Beca disturbed the peace. "I'm so hungry," she said.

"I smell pancakes," Chloe said excitedly.

Beca was weighing her options. "I don't want to face anybody quite yet," she explained. "Can't we have one more hour... Just us," she begged.

Chloe nodded. "Hang on," she said. She got up from the bed and Beca stared, mesmerized by her body. Chloe giggled. "Enjoying the view?" She asked confidently, as she threw on her robe. Beca blushed. "I'll be right back," she promised.

Chloe hurried downstairs and grabbed a plate from the cupboard. She had no expectation of going unnoticed, but she wasn't quite prepared for _all_ of the girls' stares.

"Have a good night, Red?" Amy asked. Davey was on her lap, grinning as she fed him tiny bites of a chocolate chip pancake.

"Yeah, she did," Stacie said.

"Your girl not quite ready to face us?" Aubrey asked.

Chloe looked back at them seriously as she stacked a fifth pancake on the plate. "You all better be nice. Understand me?" They nodded. She smiled. "We'll be down in a bit."

"Sure you will," Cynthia Rose replied. Chloe rolled her eyes, grabbed the syrup and two forks, and headed upstairs.

Beca's eyes lit up when she saw Chloe with the pancakes. "I should've known the way to your heart was through your stomach," Chloe commented.

"Get over here," Beca demanded.

Chloe sat down on the bed and handed Beca a fork. Beca sat up, blanket falling down to her lap, exposing her bare chest. She felt her face getting warm. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm just gonna go grab a shirt," Beca said, starting to get up.

Chloe grabbed her wrist. "Beca," she said shooting her a look that was somehow both comforting and condescending. "You don't need to be-"

"I know," Beca sighed, uncrossing her arms. "But then you should-" she tugged gently at the rope keeping Chloe's robe closed.

"Done and done," Chloe said and without hesitation whipped the whole thing off. Beca's breath caught in her throat. God, she was beautiful.

"Dig in," Chloe said offering the plate. Beca had nearly forgotten about the food.

Beca had a mouthful of pancake when Chloe dared to bring up the subject. "When's your flight?" She asked quietly.

"3:30," Beca replied.

"Perfect," Chloe said, "We'll go to the airport together then. Maybe go out to an early lunch together first?" Beca glanced down at the pancakes she was devouring. "Oh you'll be hungry again in like 30 minutes," Chloe joked, reading Beca's mind.

"True," Beca agreed.

"Plus it'll give us a chance to talk," Chloe said.

"I know, I know," Beca said. "I'm sorry I'm avoiding it. But I don't think it's a talk we should have naked. I think you could get me to agree to anything."

Chloe laughed. "Maybe we should then. And thank you, I'm taking that as a compliment."

"As you should," Beca replied.

"But yeah, I was thinking we'd go to the diner? Might be easier away from the circus that is this house..." Beca nodded. "Alright," Chloe said, "I better go shower and get dressed. We should start to get a move on." She grabbed her towel and just after she exited, popped her head back in. "And no surprises this time," Chloe clarified. "It's almost noon!"

"Cross my heart," Beca teased.

************************************************************************

After a cup of coffee with all the Bellas who were still around, Beca and Chloe began their goodbyes to the others. They'd all had a good share of teasing Beca, begging for details and being all around nosy. But eventually it was inevitable.

"We should head out," Beca said sadly.

Chloe glanced at her watch. "You're right," she agreed.

They hugged everyone and then hugged everyone again and promised to Skype soon.

When they finally made it out of the house, Aubrey snuck back out for a moment alone with Chloe. "I'll go get us an Uber," Beca said, heading to the curb to give them some privacy.

Aubrey pulled Chloe in tight. "I'm so proud of you, Chlo. Now hang on to her, okay?" Chloe nodded. "And when we get back to New York," Aubrey said, "I want to hear _everything_."

Chloe laughed. "You may regret that!" She replied. They shared one more hug and Chloe went to join Beca on the curb.

"Love you!" Aubrey shouted.  
"Love you too!" Chloe shouted back.  
"You too, Beca! Have a safe trip!" Aubrey added.  
Beca was caught off guard. But she knew now more than ever, she had to try to get along with Aubrey. "Thanks! You too!" She yelled.

Beca turned to Chloe. "Uber will be here in 4 minutes," she reported.

"Perfect," Chloe said, taking Beca's hand.

After a short ride, full of some snuggling and kisses, but little conversation, they were at the diner. They placed their order and sat quietly, just staring at each other. Chloe was surprised that Beca worked up the nerve to start the conversation.

"Chloe, I need you to know that I really want to make this work," Beca began. Chloe nodded. "But if I'm serious about my career, I have to be in LA."

Chloe was a little disappointed, but unsurprised. She knew it was true.  
"I know," Chloe said. "I'm not in love with New York," she admitted. "I can see a future, with you in LA," Chloe began.

A smile was beginning to form on Beca's face but she wouldn't let herself get too excited yet. "But?" She asked.

Chloe smiled. "But I'm supposed to start as the music director at summer camp next week, I already signed next year's contract at Griffin Academy and I just renewed my year long lease." Beca sighed. "I know," Chloe consoled.

"Okay," Beca said, taking the lead. "So we do long distance for one year and then..." She knew what she wanted but she needed Chloe to be the one to say it.

She was glad to see Chloe looking excited. "Yes, and then I will move to LA next June."

"Really?" Beca asked.

Chloe reached for her hands. "Really."

"That was easier than I thought," Beca admitted.

"Well, the hard part is this year," Chloe reminded, bringing Beca back to reality.

"Yeah," Beca agreed. "I know. But I'll come visit," she assured. Chloe smiled. "I have some vacation time saved up...and we can Skype all the time."

"We already do Skype all the time," Chloe pointed out.

"Well we can Skype even more and we can Skype... differently."

Chloe chuckled. They paid their bill and left, both feeling like a large weight had been lifted.

"When's your flight anyway?" Beca ask as they rode to the airport.

"8:30," Chloe muttered.

"Chloe!" Beca exclaimed. "You could've stayed at Barden for like another 5 hours."

"I wanted to say goodbye to you at the gate," Chloe said.

Beca rolled her eyes. But she secretly thought it was adorable. She kissed Chloe on the cheek.

When it was time for Beca to board, Chloe gave her a tight hug goodbye. "I love you," she said. It felt so natural.

"I love you too," Beca said. And for the first time, she said it clearly, confidently, zero embarrassment in her voice. Knowing that now, she could mean it in every single way that she'd always wanted to.

She'd gotten her boarding pass scanned and was about to disappear from view when she turned around.

"When does camp end?" Beca yelled.

"August," Chloe replied.

"No like what day?" Beca asked.

"August 12th," Chloe specified.

"See you August 12th!" She shouted, an uncharacteristically silly grin across her face.

"See you then," Chloe said quietly.

A/N Thanks for sticking with me through this whole story. I never thought I'd end up with over 100 followers. I know a lot of you didn't want Bechloe to try long distance, but I hope if I decide to write a sequel, you'll give it a try anyway!


End file.
